In his short career, Jean-Michel Basquiat was a phenomenon. He became notorious for his graffiti art under the moniker “Samo” on the Lower East Side in the late 1970s, sold his first painting to Deborah Harry for $200, and became best friends with Andy Warhol. Appreciated by both the art cognoscenti and the public, Basquiat was launched into international stardom. However, his cult status soon began to overshadow the art that had made him famous in the first place.

In this definitive documentary, director Tamra Davis pays homage to Basquiat her friend and Basquiat the icon. His dense, neoexpressionist work emerged in a world where minimalist, conceptual art was the fad. And though he took the art world by storm, as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism from many in that world. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat’s own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man.